Wednesday, June 6, 2012Zoar expects a boost from its new endangered statusTuscarawas County village welcomes a national designation that it is among the most threatened historic spots in the countryStory by M.L. SCHULTZE AND SIMON HUSTED

Zoar is now officially one of the most endangered historic sites in the country. And supporters think that's a good thing.

The National Trust For Historic Preservation put Zoar on its annual endangered list, That's because water is seeping through the base of the levee that’s protected the nearly 200 year old village since the 1930s, and the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers is considering options, including moving the entire village. That's an option that has caused alarm.

The national historic group has put 230 sites on its endangered list since 1988, and only a handful have been lost. Jon Elsasser is president of the Zoar Community Association, and he says his group can learn from that success.

“They are a national organization with national membership and a national magazine. So this designation will let a lot more people around the country know what’s happening to Zoar, and we’re hopeful a number of those people will also write to the Army Corps of Engineers.”

The corps’ lead planner, Aaron Smith, says such input is important, and it welcomes the designation by the historic trust.

“From our perspective, it doesn’t necessarily prescribe an outcome, … but it does speak to the significance the village of Zoar holdS to the historic preservation community on a national level.”

Smith says the corps’ relationship with the National Trust is partnership, and they’ve committed to working together on options for Zoar.